Tom Allen

Tom Allen - Member

In April 2009, former Congressman Tom Allen joined the Association of American Publishers as its President and Chief Executive Officer. As President of the AAP, Mr. Allen seeks to foster the association's ongoing mission of protecting copyright in the ever-changing landscape of the digital world and help publishers meet 21st-century challenges.

In 1996 Mr. Allen was elected to Congress and served the people of the 1st District of Maine from 1996-2008. As a Member of Congress, Mr. Allen served on the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Budget Committee, the Armed Services Committee, and Government Reform Committee. On the Energy and Commerce Committee Mr. Allen worked on a range of issues, from health care to climate change to telecommunications legislation. He also co-founded the House Oceans Caucus, which was created to raise awareness on the need for a coordinated global oceans resources policy.

From 1974 until 1993, Mr. Allen practiced law at the firm Drummond Woodsum Plimpton and MacMahon, where he was a partner and member of the Board of Directors. During this time he also served on Portland City Council from 1989-1995 and as Mayor of Portland.

Mr. Allen was born and raised in Portland, Maine. After graduating from Deering High School, where he was co-captain of the Deering Football team as well as senior Class President, Mr. Allen studied at Bowdoin College where he received a B.A. in English. After graduating from Bowdoin, he received a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, from which he received a B.Phil in Politics in 1970. He worked a year in Washington for U.S. Senator Ed Muskie and then attended Harvard Law School and graduated with a J.D. in 1974.

"I've been passionate about books and reading my whole life. That's why I'm excited to be working on behalf of those who produce these great tools of education, entertainment and information," said Mr. Allen.